Tag Archives: Imaginary Fred

This year has been another great year for picture books. There has been a good mix of laugh-out-loud picture books to read aloud to groups and picture books with lots of details to share one-on-one. Below is my list of favourite picture books from 2015 (some with links to my reviews). I’ve been doing lots of school visits in my library role this year and most of the books below have been real winners with the kids I’ve read them to. Some of them I didn’t get a chance to review (these I’ve elaborated on) but they have proved to be very popular.

Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey – another winner from Aaron Blabey. This was the book that got me hooked on his stories. It’s about a pony called Thelma, who really wants to be a unicorn. She discovers that fame isn’t all that its cracked up to be and that being yourself is more important. Boys have groaned when they have first seen it but they laugh along with the story too.

The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton – for a debut picture book this is absolutely brilliant! Princess Pinecone wants to be a warrior and she needs a big, strong, fast horse to help her. Her parents don’t get her wishes quite right and she ends up with a short, fat little pony that farts a lot. This little pony might not be what she asked for but together they become a great team, and help the meanest warriors show their cuddly sides. Kids from Year 1-8 have all loved this book and I never get sick of reading it aloud.

Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer and Oliver Jeffers – Two huge names come together to bring imaginary friends to life. It’s a quirky, funny and absolutely stunning book. Fred is the best imaginary friend you could ask for, but he always finds that he isn’t needed anymore and he fades away. Then one day, a boy called Sam wishes for a friend and everything changes. It’s a book that I want to share and tell everyone about. The only downside is that it is too long to read to a group of children. I love it though and it will be one that I’ll read again and again. Check out the book trailer here.

The Cow Tripped Over the Moon by Tony Wilson – I always enjoy retellings of fairy tales and nursery rhymes and this book is a hilarious take on Hey Diddle Diddle. The cow tries again and again to jump over the moon but she keeps messing up. She trips over the moon, crashes into the moon, and sails straight over the moon, but she is determined to do it. It’s a perfect book to share with pre-schoolers and it will have them laughing out loud. It had me in stitches!

Imaginary Fred is the first collaboration between two giants of children’s literature, Oliver Jeffers and Eoin Colfer. I’m a huge fan of both of these guys so I’m very excited to read this book.

Sometimes, with a little electricity, or luck, or even magic, an imaginary friend might appear when you need one. An imaginary friend like Fred… Fred floated like a feather in the wind until a lonely little boy wished for him and found a friendship like no other

Sometimes, with a little electricity, or luck, or even magic, an imaginary friend might appear when you need one. An imaginary friend like Fred… Fred floated like a feather in the wind until a lonely little boy wished for him and found a friendship like no other.

Grandpa’s Great Escape by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross

Jack’s Grandpa…

Wears his slippers to the supermarket

Serves up Spam à la Custard for dinner

And often doesn’t remember Jack’s name. But he can still take to the skies in a speeding Spitfire and save the day…

An exquisite portrait of the bond between a small boy and his beloved Grandpa – this book takes readers on an incredible journey with Spitfires over London and Great Escapes through the city in a high octane adventure full of comedy and heart.

The Person Controller by David Baddiel

Fred and Ellie are twins. But not identical (because that’s impossible for a boy and a girl). They do like all the same things, though. Especially video games. Which they are very good at. They aren’t that good, however, at much else – like, for example, football, or dealing with the school bullies.

Then, they meet the Mystery Man, who sends them a video game controller, which doesn’t look like any other controller they’ve ever seen. And it doesn’t control any of their usual games. When the twins find out what it does control, though, it seems like the answer to all their problems. And the key to all their wildest dreams. At least it seems like that…

An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo

1940. Barney and his mother, their home destroyed by bombing, are travelling to the country when their train is forced to shelter in a tunnel from attacking German planes. There, in the darkness, a stranger on the train begins to tell them a story. A story about Bobby Byron, the most decorated soldier of WW1, who once had the chance to end the war before it even began, and how he tried to fix his mistake. But sometimes the right thing is hard to see – and even harder to live with.